Militant meninism: the militaristic discourse of Gamergate and Men’s Rights Activism

Abstract

The connection between military metaphor and feminism – specifically radical and ‘militant feminism’ – has been well established by theorists. However, the same cannot be said for the analogous connection between militaristic discourse and Men’s Rights Activism (MRA). MRAs have often posited themselves in opposition to feminism and frequently portray the two as being on opposite sides of a ‘culture war’. This was particularly apparent during the Gamergate movement, which became intrinsically tied to MRA. The Gamergate movement was the subject of heavy media scrutiny, due to its highly publicised and vitriolic attacks on women. This article looks at chatlogs leaked from one of Gamergate’s main chatrooms, which exposed Gamergate’s rhetorical strategies. Having analysed the dialogue, the article argues that Gamergaters have adopted a militaristic discourse. This is evidenced by their consistent use of militaristic terminology, and the treatment of their actions as being military ‘operations’ within a larger war against feminism.